Guest Post: Nutritionist Karen Moreno, RD, CDN

Feed Your Sister is excited to have Karen Moreno, a friend and nutritionist, guest blog and share some of her favorite healthy recipes.  Karen is a Registered Dietitian, having received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from New York University in Nutrition and Food Studies and a minor in Business. She then completed her dietetic internship in affiliation with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she gained extensive experience in both clinical and community nutrition. In addition, she also completed rotations at NYU’s Pediatric Dental Clinic and at Ogilvy, a PR firm in NYC. In the past, Karen worked for Tanya Zuckerbrot, as well as the Clinton Foundation working to help fight childhood obesity, and as a trainer for Equinox.

Currently, Karen is continuing her post-graduate studies towards her Master’s of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at NYU. Karen is the resident dietitian at New York Medical Associates and provides medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling services to patients with a wide variety of health conditions and issues.  In addition, Karen sees patients privately at her office or at her patient’s offices for their convenience. Karen also writes healthy recipes for SkinnyandtheCity.com.

Karen remains informed on the newest research and health practices because she is a member of the American Dietetic Association. She loves cooking, baking, and coming up with healthy recipes. In addition, she enjoys yoga, boot camp classes, and is now training to run her first NYC marathon.  

Below is a recipe for people who are crazy about salmon! Before we get to the recipe, here's some nutrition facts and information from Karen... With all the buzz about omega 3 fatty acids and its associated health benefits for both healthy people and those at risk of cardiovascular disease I decided to experiment with a new recipe this week to replace my boring old plain grilled salmon. Omega 3’s have become very popular lately because studies have shown that consuming omega 3 fatty acids twice a week  can decrease triglyceride levels and lower blood pressure. Salmon is a great source of omega 3’s along with flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, and other fatty fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory which means that they prevent inflammation and also help with brain development which is why pregnant women and children should consume them in moderation as well. 

Try out my recipe below and you can pair it with a quinoa salad or some grilled broccoli.  Enjoy!

Sweet Mango Salmon

(Serves 4)

4 (4-oz) salmon fish fillets

5 pieces dried unsweetened mango (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's has this!

3 tbsp honey mustard (or any kind you have)

1 tbsp orange juice

¼ cup light soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray a Pyrex or aluminum tin with vegetable oil.  Place salmon and mango in oven-safe dish.  In a bowl, combine mustard, orange juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, and oil. Whisk together until fully combined.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture and stir until incorporated.

Pour over the salmon and mango.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned.

Tip: You can also add broccoli and bake it alongside the salmon for an extra boost of antioxidants and Vitamin C.

If you'd like to contact Karen, regarding this email or anything else you might want to know about nutrition and/or dieting, please email her at dietsbykaren@gmail.com.  Be sure to reference Feed Your Sister in your email!  Look out for more recipes by Karen in future posts soon!

Quinoa

I saw this recipe on Food Network on Saturday morning. I thought about what I had in my pantry and remembered I had some quinoa that I bought not too long ago. The cooking process is similar to that of rice, so I figured it's probably a good substitute. I also had some broccoli in the fridge and thought it would be a good addition. I omitted the scallions, but I suppose you can use them if you have them on hand. Into the cooking water I added about 4 tablespoons soy sauce to give the quinoa an Asiany flavor. Here's a guide to cooking quinoa, if you've never done it before.

My version came out ok, but the broccoli was overcooked because I added it in the beginning, oh well, my bad! The guide says to cook the quinoa for 15 minutes, I would put in the edamame and broccoli after the quinoa has been cooking about 12 minutes. When the timer goes off after 15 minutes remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 more minutes with lid on. Flake with a fork and eat up!

To be honest, I think I'll never make quinoa again. I really rather eat rice, besides the protein factor of quinoa, rice, brown or white, is just a whole lot tastier!

What do you think??